CHARLESTON, S.C. - Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s campaign said on Tuesday a shadowy group had accused McCain of leaving fellow Vietnam war prisoners behind in an attack reminisicent of the battle in South Carolina eight years ago.
The attack was leveled in a mailing sent to South Carolina voters by a group calling itself “Vietnam Veterans Against McCain” — just days before South Carolina Republicans choose between McCain, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Fred Thompson and other candidates.
It was reminiscient of the attacks against McCain, who spent five years as a Vietnam war prisoner, during the 2000 contest in South Carolina, which was won by George W. Bush.
That experience led McCain this time around to create a “South Carolina Truth Squad” ready to respond rapidly to similar attacks ahead of Saturday, when South Carolina Republicans vote for their choice as the party’s nominee.
The McCain campaign emailed to reporters a copy of the negative mailing which showed a cartoon drawing of him sitting in a cell with POW branded on his chest.
A scrawling on the wall says: “Hanoi Hilton Songbird — An Enormous Crime, the POWS I helped leave behind.”
The McCain campaign arranged for one of the senator’s close friends, Orson Swindle, who was also a former Vietnam prisoner of war, to denounce the attack in a statement and subsequent conference call with reporters.
“The deceitful smear tactics by such fringe elements as Vietnam Veterans Against McCain must not be allowed into the political process,” Swindle said.
“We are a better people than that, and those responsible should be denounced. I urge the people of South Carolina to denounce to these desperate, negative attacks and give John McCain a resounding victory on Saturday, January 19th.”
Swindle and other McCain supporters did not know from whom the mailing originated, but Swindle said a number of people still believe Americans were left behind in Vietnam although most so-called sighting of Americans have been resolved by the Defense Department.
“They are emotion-driven, and they create expectations that simply are not going to be realized…It’s very inappropriate in an election process and it’s a bit crazy too,” he said.
Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage.
– Photo credit: Reuters/Shannon Stapleton (McCain at a campaign rally in Ypsilanti, Mich. with his wife and Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman)
Trackback
4 comments so far
I can’t be the only American who immediately jumps to a candidate’s side when they’re under this kind of hatred. These same haters went after McCain as mentally ill before, and Kerry with the Swift boat campaign. Why does our system give them refuge to spread these slick lies anonymously? Smearing is a time honored tradition that goes hand in hand with our democracy–and sometimes tells truths or half-truths,,but why let the smearers hide?
- Posted by Hampton HowellToday, the following businessmen from Arkansas released a statement in support of former Arkansas Governor, Mike Huckabee: Scott T. Ford, President and CEO, Alltel Corporation; Warren A. Stephens, President and CEO, Stephens Inc.; Madison Murphy, Former Chairman, Murphy Oil Corporation; John Tyson, Chairman of the Board, Tyson Foods, Inc; and French Hill, Chairman and CEO, Delta Trust and Banking Corporation:
“We are a traditionally bi-partisan group of executives of several of the largest corporations headquartered in the State of Arkansas, each with considerable exposure to the Administration of Governor Mike Huckabee. Of late, Governor Huckabee has attracted what we believe to be unwarranted criticism regarding his business record.”
“Our experience with Governor Huckabee indicates that he not only values greatly the freedoms of religion and liberty, but of the free market as well. He is an atypical leader who garnered the respect of not only the professional business community but of the working men and women across our State as well.”
“When he became our Governor, he inherited our long sub-standard education system, infrastructure, and regulatory climate. Under his leadership, we were able to grow our businesses, increase our employment, reduce our litigation exposure and enjoy, along with all of our fellow Arkansans, a healthier economy, improved schools, updated highways, and new healthcare delivery facilities.”
“In our support of Governor Huckabee’s truly conservative, small government business outlook and his pragmatic, yet compassionate style of governing, we invite you to look past the shallow rhetoric of yet another campaign season to see what we have experienced first hand - that with the right political leadership in place, businesses and citizens can jointly prosper and as they do, they contribute so much more to the economic and societal fabric of a community than simply tax revenues.”
- Posted by David, Oregon CityJohn Mccain needs to stop crying,they are not attack ads, they are just plain old facts!Dont be fooled,he is a BIG LIBERAL!!STOP Mccain, South Carolina,PLEASE!!!!!!
- Posted by Patrick C.http://www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnmcc ain.com/
- Posted by Brian N